Garage Band to Grammys: Turning Art into a Career with David Schuler

“Part of being an artist is having an unwavering ability to look fear in the face and be like, ‘Hey, I’m ready to go down in flames in front of everybody for what I just made. And if I do, I don’t give a fuck because it’ll be in the name of what I made and it won’t be in vain. […] The best artists in the world make their art, they get behind it, and they evolve.” –David Schuler

My longtime friend and 2x Grammy Nominated Producer, David Schuler, has done some pretty epic shit in the music business and he breaks it all down and serves it up to you on a silver platter. If you’re an artist or entrepreneur, this episode is a gold mine! We talk about his entire journey from when he first got interested in music to eventually working with the likes of Pink and John Legend. But what’s great about this conversation is all the juicy details in between that got him there, which you can transfer to your own career and life, whether you’re an aspiring artist, an entrepreneur, or just someone trying to take advantage of your one life.

His experience working with John Legend, Pink, and Ricki Lee Coulter

Blending art and commerce: how to make money making art

Tactics John Mayer used to make it professionally

How to overcome fear and ship your art

How David and his band got an official spot on Warped Tour by being the “barbecue band”

How to be an effective producer so artists are primed to make their best music

Why he thinks Los Angeles is the most creatively fertile city in the world

1:48:30 – How him and his band sold 30,000 records on tour and became the 2nd band ever to chart the billboards without distribution (got attention of Virgin Records and put them in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame)

1:53:00 – The conversation with his mentor, Billy Mann, who helped launch his career working with Pink, John Legend, Ricki Lee Coulter

1:55:30 – What it was like working with big artists and the mindset he uses to be an effective producer so artists are primed to make their best music

1:58:00 – How to produce great art when you’re working with numerous people or arms of the business at once, where everyone has a say